Category: Diaspora

Ethiopian Armenians | February 15, 2005
Here's an interesting blog entry about the Ethiopian Armenian Community. I'd love to learn more about this community....

Recognition by the back door | February 02, 2005
Thanks to Hrach of Azad-Hye.com for this one. A UK government website has talked about the Armenian Genocide, in contrast to official UK policy. A commemoration of the Jewish and Armenian Holocausts...

Japanese-Armenians | February 01, 2005
Yes, there are a few Japanese-Armenians. I was looking again at the web page of the Japan-Armenia Friendship Association and thought I would share this. I realise that pretty much all of you do not read Japanese, but it is...

No space for Genocide | January 30, 2005
As has been reported widely (Armenialiberty.org, Azg Daily, Pan Armenian Network), the German state of Brandenburg has decided to remove a short reference to the Armenian Genocide from its school history textbooks. This blog (there's only one post so far)...

Genocide Payments | January 28, 2005
New York Life has made the first payments to 9 Armenian charities, after the settlement of a lawsuit last year. New York Life has a press release on its site from last year: The following Armenian organizations will share equally...

Sons and Daughters of the Armenian nation | January 18, 2005
I've heard many stories of what happened to Armenians forcibly "turned into Kurds and Turks". Azg Daily talks about this taboo subject today....

Genocide Sacrilege | January 12, 2005
Amongst a few interesting stories on Azg is this piece about Turkish singer Seden Gurel and her rendition of the Armenian song "Adana Lamentation". Sibel Alas is the author of the words, and Istanbul Armenian Shirak Shahrikian's duduk accompanies the...

Cafe Culture | January 11, 2005
In this article, Hold the Froth: Armenian-American Youth Revel in Cafe Culture, Ishkhan Jinbashian writes about Little Yerevan in Glendale. What perhaps most palpably distinguishes Glendale's sprawling Little Yerevan from any number of cities with a large Armenian presence is...

Immigration and Return | December 22, 2004
HETQ Online has a photostory entitled "Immigration and Return": It's a series of photographs taken by Zaven Khachikyan during stays in Switzerland and the Russian region of Krasnodar. It's a touching series of pictures of Armenians in their different environments....

Armenians in Iran | December 21, 2004
This blog gives an extract about Armenians in Iran. It is taken from a book entitled A Concise History of the Armenian People by George A. Bournoutian. There are some other books about Armenian history from the UCLA Armenian History...

Thessaloniki | December 15, 2004
I'll be travelling through Thessaloniki in northern Greece in May and had heard that there was a sizeable Armenian community there. If anyone has been there or knows anything about the community please let me know. I'd be interested to...

Defrauded update: back to trial | December 08, 2004
According to this report from RFE/RL, the diaspora couple who had claimed that they had been defrauded by their local associate (posted last week on Blogrel), are seeking to have the case re-opened....

Armenian church attacked in Mosul | December 08, 2004
Sadly, an Armenian and Chaldean church have been attacked in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Smoke billowed from one of the northern city's Armenian churches and one of its oldest Chaldean churches was ablaze and a wall shattered. Luckily,...

Genocide on Broadway | December 07, 2004
A play about the Armenian Genocide is to debut on Broadway, reports Asbarez (Via Pacific News Service) Armenian-Americans will be doubly compelled to see this play. On a purely human level, the audience must grapple with the complexity of how...

Armenian Hospital Museum opens in Istanbul | December 06, 2004
TurkishPress.com reports on the opening in Istanbul of the Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Museum. Attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Erdogan, who inaugurated the Yedikule Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Museum which was renovated by the Armenian Foundation, said...

Defrauded | November 30, 2004
I was forwarded this letter to the California Courier by K. George Najarian and Carolann S. Najarian. It's their story of an investment in Armenia gone wrong. Helping, befriending, and trusting a man they met while doing humanitarian aid, they...

Facing extinction | November 15, 2004
Articles like this (from The Times) pop up every so often. "If there are no systemic changes in Armenia, we could face a catastrophe," says Vardan Gevorgyan, a sociologist. "We will not disappear as an ethnic or cultural group in...

Iraq deployment hindered | November 08, 2004
Eurasianet.org talks about the internal opposition to deployment of Armenians to Iraq. Will these troops actually be deployed, wonders the article. Opposition has been based around the fear that the deployment will make conditions even worse for the Armenian minority...

A town called Gohar | October 29, 2004
I'm not sure what I make of this. Aleppo was the first place I went to an Armenian Church (and made a donation to hear the priest sing). Arka news agency reports on the development of a new village not...

Oops, they did it again! | October 09, 2004
Does my memory fail me, or was there not a very emphatic statement by the Kerry campaign back in August about recognising the Armenian genocide? Still, this from Zaman Online (Via Dhimmi Watch)has appeared. Kerry denied claims made by the...

Road to Armenia | October 05, 2004
I stumbled across this site by chance and thought I would share. Not particularly newsworthy, but there is a long journal of the authors travels in Armenia, another page on the Shoghaken Folk Ensemble which I've been wanting to hear...

Island haven? | October 04, 2004
Raffi over at Cilicia.com has a very interesting proposal for his readers: Would you live on this Armenian island? He is referring to creating an Armenian community on an island off the Mexican coast near to Los Angeles, where Western...

Iraqi Armenians Fearful | September 29, 2004
Armenia Liberty reports that ethnic Armenians in Iraq have pleaded with the Armenian government not to send any troops to Iraq, fearing they might become the targets of attacks. "We Iraqi Armenians are against that," said Narek Ishkhanian, a parish...

The Faces of Armenia | September 28, 2004
Photolife magazine has a selection of photos by Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian. Kurkjian and Karanian published a book in 2002 through Stone Garden Productions called Edge of Time: Traveling in Armenia and Karabagh. They have a new book, The...

Armenian vs. Armenian | September 10, 2004
I'm off to Paris tomorrow so I thought I would try an experiment. As an odar one of the subjects that has intrigued me since I became involved with Armenia and Armenians is the relationship between the Spyurka (Diaspora) and...

How 'Sarge' made good | September 06, 2004
It's a touching story - Sargis Sargsian and his dreams come true story of playing tennis in the US. Brought to the US with help of a former peace worker, and hosted by Armenian-Americans. And he's buddies with Agassi too....

Fighting against denial | September 02, 2004
John Kerry has clarified his position vis-a-vis recognising the Armenian genocide, according to an article from ArmenPress. "John Kerry Edwards administration will launch a fight against denial of Armenian Genocide," the statement says. "As a president, I will fight against...

The Last Armenian village in Turkey | August 28, 2004
CNN International ran a story today titled 'Armenian homecoming' about the village of Vakifli Koyu in southeastern Turkey near Musa Dagh. The story was about the visit of descendants of Armenian villagers from around the world. Vakifli Koyu has been...

Pan-Armenian cultural festival | August 22, 2004
ArmeniaNow.com has a good roundup of the Pan-Armenian cultural festival. The first Pan-Armenian cultural festival started last Sunday with ceremonies in Freedom Square, where 1,500 artists from 15 countries were greeted with applause while they walked down a red carpet....

AGBU to open Yerevan school | August 19, 2004
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) has announced plans to open a new school in Yerevan, the "Melkonian educational center". The school will reportedly cater for up to 200 students from around the world. Young diasporans can learn language, culture,...

Diaspora-Armenia relations | August 16, 2004
This is a subject that has interested me for a while: Diaspora-Armenia relations. It's something that tells an odar like me a lot about the Armenian people. Armenianow.com have a story about ethnographer Hrak Varjapetian who moved with his family...

Armenian Teens a Touchpoint for L.A. Immigrant Issues | August 12, 2004
I haven't been posting in the last few days as I've had a very painful pulled muscle, but I got this link from a friend, and thought it was worth sharing. NPR (National Public Radio) in the US had a...

Los Armenios | August 08, 2004
HETQ Online has a photostory on the Armenians of Los Angeles. In the eighties Armenians from Armenia joined the mix in even greater number and created probably the only true-to-life postmodern Armenian ghetto in the world and in the most...

Armenian art on the walls of Jerusalem | August 04, 2004
Haaretz reports on a new mural made of Armenian tiles in the heart fo Jerusalem. A huge mural made of Armenian tiles featuring the sea, animals, plants, trees and Noah's ark will be dedicated next week at 14 Koresh St.,...

Latest victims of Bush? | August 03, 2004
The California Courier has an commentary entitled "Latest Victims of Bush Administration's War in Iraq". It puts the blame partially on the shoulders of Bush and the "neo-cons" (neo conservatives) that make up much of his administration. Last Sunday, for...

Bomb blasts Armenian church in Iraq | August 02, 2004
BBC News reports that several churches have been attacked in Iraq, including an Armenian church in the Baghdad district of Karada. At least 10 people have been killed and 38 injured in a coordinated attack that hit 5 churches across...

CAIA: A response | July 27, 2004
Misak Ohanian wrote to me today in response to my earlier post about the "coup" that had taken place at CAIA, the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice in London. Ohanian had run CAIA for 17 years but had been...

Kerry endorsed for president | July 27, 2004
ANCA have put out a press release endorsing John Kerry for President. This isn't surprising, as Kerry is certainly the most friendly to the Armenian cause. After the jump is the full press release:...

The Armenians of Javakhk | July 26, 2004
Another photostory from Onnik Krikorian of HETQ Online. This time the theme is the The Armenians of Javakhk, in southern Georgia. One of the poorest parts of Georgia (and Georgia is usually rated with a lower per-capita income than Armenia),...

From Armenia to Truckee | July 22, 2004
Azad McIver died July 13th in Truckee, Nevada, at the age of 95. This obituary caught my eye, since Azad was born in Harpoot, on October 12th 1908. At age 6, McIver fled her homeland under her 10-year-old sister's wing...

The big brother | July 20, 2004
According to a survey conducted by the The Armenian Center for National and International Studies, 54% of Armenians think that Russia contributes more to Armenia's economic growth than any other country. The survey was called "The Trends of Economic Growth...

Coup d'etat in London | July 12, 2004
There is an interesting thread over at hyeforum.com about the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice (CAIA) in London, Hayashen. Apparently there has been a "coup" of sorts, in which four members of the seven member board arrived at the...

More tourists so far in 2004 | July 09, 2004
Government statistics have revealed a 10% increase in foreign tourists so far in 2004, according to ArmeniaLiberty.org. Still, at 33,000 in the first quarter the number is still very low. And ethnic Armenians are believed to be the vast majority...

The state of democracy in Armenia | July 09, 2004
Armenian analyst Emil Danielyan (also editor of the site http://www.armenialiberty.org. ) took part in a radio broadcast on Wednesday on Radio Free Europe. The subject of the discussion was human rights in Armenia, and the state of democracy. Groong has...

Birthright Armenia | July 09, 2004
I was impressed when I first heard about Birthright Armenia. It's purpose is to bring young diasporans to Armenia for several months to see the "homeland" and get involved with various projects. It makes the experience that much easier, and...

Armenians under Saddam | July 07, 2004
OK, this is not a site I would normally read or link to, but I'll try and be objective about this. Truth News has a story about the survival of the Armenian community in Iraq under Saddam. The ethnic Armenian...

An Armenian in America | July 05, 2004
The New Republic has reprinted an article from 1921 by Armenian-American Aghavnie Yeghenian. In it, he laments the reaction by the major powers to the genocide; indifference or treachery. These sentiments seem vivid still, and could so easily be applied...

Greater Armenia | July 02, 2004
Impearls has a detailed post about Greater Armenia (Via The Argus). It's an 'all you ever wanted to know about historical Armenia but were afraid to ask'. These are the headings: Introduction The Arab Conquest Recovery and Independence The Arabs...

Project Harmony | June 28, 2004
There will be a presentation on the Armenian Schools Connectivity Project (ASCP) by Mourad Mouradyan of the Project Harmony on Tuesday 29, 2004 7:00PM at Armenian Society of Los Angeles....

Genocide denial lecture | June 24, 2004
Haigazian University was the location for a lecture by Prof. Henry C. Theriault, an academic from the US. The Department of Armenian Studies has issued a press release (via Groong)about the lecture. In it, he draws interesting parallels with denialist...

The rich man's view | June 24, 2004
The Vahakni development, which I posted about two days ago, has a write up from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. They interview Vahak S. Hovnanian, the man behind the project. "But Vahakni is in itself a lifestyle, which...

Armenian Spam | June 23, 2004
Well, not quite. I got the following email from the [name removed] Restaurant in Dubai about their 'Armenian Night': Tonight ARARAD is performing at [name removed] Restaurant at [name removed], Dubai. Now, how did I get on their spamming list?...

Selling a piece of the homeland | June 21, 2004
The Los Angeles Daily News talks about the time shares being marketed to Armenians in the US for the Vahakni development north of Yerevan. "To local Armenians, I say, It's your land, it's your responsibility, to go back and see...

Azad-Hye Blog | June 20, 2004
Hrach Kalsahakian who runs the Azad-Hye email group has set up an accompanying blog. There is a site feed, unfortunately only in the as yet not widely used Atom format. Azad-Hye concentrates on news from the Armenian community in the...

Do you speak Armenian? | June 17, 2004
The Modern Language Association has produced a very interesting interactive map using 2000 census data. This map shows the distribution of languages in the United States. If you go to this URL, select Armenian from the pull-down menu, and hit...

Cooperation of Birthright and the Armenian Medical Association | June 16, 2004
The Armenian Medical Association is cooperating with Birthright Armenia to bring young diasporans to Armenia to volunteer in the field of medicine....

AGBU London lecture Series | June 11, 2004
Onnik Krikorian will give a photo presentation and lecture in London at the end of June, entitled "Poverty, transition and democracy in Armenia". Centre for Armenian Information and Advice 105a Mill Hill Road, Acton London W3 8JF Nearest tube: Acton...

Cold Storage | June 10, 2004
More on the Gyumri cold storage facility that was sold for $150,000. Professor Osheen Keshishian has written the following article about the scandal which is currently unfolding. It's hard to see this is an an isolated incident....

System of a Corruption | June 05, 2004
Serj Tankian, the lead singer of System of a Down, has come out with a sentiment not rare amongst the Diaspora. In an interview on RFE/RL (scroll down the page), Tankian talks of the frustrations of those wanting to invest...

An Armenian newspaper in Turkey | June 03, 2004
Nor Marmara, is an Armenian newspaper in Turkey. Turkish Daily News yesterday ran a story about minority newspapers in Turkey, and features Nor Marmara. Nor Marmara, which publishes a supplement in Turkish on Fridays for Armenian citizens who cannot read...

Who are the Udins? | June 02, 2004
ArmenPress carries a story about a new controversy in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani defense minister Safar Abiyev has officially dismissed media ruckus that Russian citizens of Armenian origin were serving at Gabala Radar Station, leased by Russia in Azerbaijan. The minister said...

Dual Citizenship | May 28, 2004
Civil Georgia is reporting that Saakashvili will grant dual-citizenship to Georgians living abroad. I believe this is primarily aimed at getting those living abroad to come home, without risk of losing their foreign citizenship. Personally, I am a triple-citizen, and...

Armenian Newspapers Online | May 21, 2004
I found this online newspaper service today: http://www.armeniannewspapers.com/ They offer online version of three Armenian newspapers (Aravot, Azg, and Golos Armenii) in PDF (Acrobat) format, priced at $10 per month. I haven't tried it out, but it looks well set...

Meanwhile in Georgia... | May 14, 2004
More on the troubling developments in southern Georgia. The Tsalka region with its large Armenian population saw clashes on May 9th. Now 100 Georgian interior ministry troops have been sent in. Civil Georgia has this report. 100-strong unit of Interior...

After Freedom | May 13, 2004
Vahe Babaian, who grew up in Iran but now lives in Glendale, California, has made a film about the immigrant experience. The LA Daily News gives it a write-up. There is a bio of the filmmaker on the movie website....

Further unrest in Georgia | May 12, 2004
As is Sakaashvili wasn't busy enough, there have been clashes in the Tsalka region of Georgia bordering Armenia which reportedly were between ethnic Armenians and Georgians. Sakaashvili is reported to have said this was not of the 'Armenian character'. Supposedly...

Turkish scholar to lecture on the Genocide | May 11, 2004
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research has put out a press release on the forthcoming lecture by Taner Akcam entitled "From Empire to Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide"....

Bush avoids the G-word | April 27, 2004
Once again Bush has avoided using the G-word in his speech to commemorate the Armenian genocide. He came close, but not close enough. "The 20th century was marred by unimaginable brutality, mass murder and genocide. History records that the Armenians...

Armenia's Braindrain | April 19, 2004
The BBC has an in-depth look into the issue of global migration. They look at migrant labour, refugees, and the money that migrants send back home. There is a page about Armenia's refugees from Azerbaijan. The brain drain is of...

IT in Armenia | April 16, 2004
An "Armenian IT" day will be held in Silicon Valley (via Groong): Armenia-based branches of several US IT companies have given their preliminary consent to organize "the Armenian ITDay" at the famous Silicon Valley in California, which they hope will...

Karabagh Movement, Genocide, and Armenian Identity | April 13, 2004
Dr. Harutyun Marutyan will give a lecture at the Center of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, Mass., on Wednesday, April 21, at 8 p.m. Dr. Harutyun Marutyan will describe the crucial and...

Cyprus reunification | April 12, 2004
Armenian representative to the Cyprus Parliament Bedros Kalaydjian argues against Kofi Annan's reunification plan. the fifth version of the Annan plan as an unfair distribution of interests, to the disadvantage of the Greek Cypriot side and the benefit of the...

System of a Down | April 07, 2004
The Armenian group will play a concert on April 24th to oppose Bush and commemorate the Genocide. Their show 'Souls 2004' will raise money for the Armenian National Committee of America. Souls 2004 will take place at the Greek Theater...

April 24th events | April 06, 2004
AWOL has a short list of events to take place on April 24th. I'll post more as we get nearer the date. This comes via Groong....

Armenia's oil | April 06, 2004
In this article at a1plus.am, Armen Zatikyan talks about the Diaspora as the "oil" of Armenia. Georgia has a sea, Azerbaijan has oil, and we have a Diaspora. Neither the first president, nor the present Authorities or Opposition profited by...

Armenian Assembly: Reference To Armenian Genocide Clouded By Turkish Influence | April 03, 2004
The Armenian Assembly of America has put out this press release about the ongoing controversy over wording in a recent State Department report on Turkey. Here is the offending page. It's interesting that in their page on Rwanda, they are...

American Armenians dissatisfied with Bush Administration | April 01, 2004
YERKIR has this story about Armenian-American's view of President Bush and his unfulfilled pledge to recognize the genocide....

$544 million transferred by armenians abroad in 2003 to relatives | March 25, 2004
From ArmenPress: The amount of cash sent home by Armenians working abroad, the main source of income for thousands of families, reached last year some $544 million, as much as Armenia's budget was, showing an $85 million growth over the...

First group of repatriates to arrive in Armenia from Russia in late summer | March 25, 2004
This from PanARMENIAN.Net The first group of repatriates from Russia will arrive in Armenia from Russia in late summer, said Chief of the Department of Migration and Refugees under the Armenian Government Gagik Yeganian. It should be noted that he...

First group of repatriates to arrive in Armenia from Russia in late summer | March 25, 2004
This from PanARMENIAN.Net The first group of repatriates from Russia will arrive in Armenia from Russia in late summer, said Chief of the Department of Migration and Refugees under the Armenian Government Gagik Yeganian. It should be noted that he...